Kingdom Hearts: Blades of Rebirth
by Kaiser14
Summary: My first Kingdom Hearts fanfic. Yeah....
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Small Challenge

Seika weakly opened his eyes. Dark rings faintly ran around them. He hadn't slept for four days. It wasn't because he couldn't, it was because five nights ago, he had a dream where he was falling and couldn't wake up. He rubbed a hand through is black, spiky hair with a sigh. "Another sleepless night."

"Seika!" he heard his mother call from the room below. "Seika, are you up? You're friends called half an hour ago asking where you were."

He glanced up at the clock hanging on his room's wall. It was a quarter past 10. With a start, Seika threw his blankets off and jumped out of bed. He quickly pulled his usual clothes on, a dark blue jacket that was over a white T-shirt, baggy green pants that had large Xs on the front and back, and black sneakers, as well as a hemp bracelet that had four beads that he wore on his left wrist since he was eight, for seven years. With that, he ran out the door to meet up with his friends at their usual spot, the statue of a falcon near the center of town.

His friends, Kenzo and Olivia, were sitting on the statue, waiting with impatient looks. Kenzo had spiky, dirty blond hair and wore a brown hoodie and blue jeans, and Olivia had long, braided hair that ran down her spine and she wore a light blue blouse and beige pants. "What took you?" Kenzo said when Seika finally made it.

"Sorry. I guess I overslept," he muttered. Kenzo shook his head and sighed. "But hey, at least I showed up."

"That's not the point," Olivia said, adjusting her glasses up her nose. She pointed to the building that towered above them. "there's another 'challenge' going on in the colosseum, and that bonehead Gekko thinks he can take the Executioner down."

Seika didn't say anything. "So, any plans on what we're going to do today?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Nope," Kenzo replied. There was a pause and the three sighed. The three sat around the fountain in silence for a few minutes, then Kenzo stood up and stretched. "Look's like another Saturday down the drain."

"It's not that big of a deal," Seika said. "Summer vacation is in two weeks. We could do anything we want then."

"Yeah, but who knows if we get the chance," Olivia muttered. "Our parents are probably going to want to take us somewhere, or one of us might end up going to a summer camp again."

Seika didn't respond. It felt too early to argue, until an idea flashed into his head. "We could go to the pond in the woods."

Olivia and Kenzo looked at him with annoyed looks. "The only thing to do there is throw rocks," Olivia said.

"Do you have anything better to do?"

Kenzo sighed. "Alright, alright. It beats doing nothing but sit around here and deal with the random people giving us dirty looks." The three finally agreed and walked down the street towards the large, forested area south of the town. A figure approached the statue where the sat.

In the center of the woods was a clearing with a large pond. The three sat on the edge of a ledge that overlooked the water. Kenzo grabbed a small, smooth rock and tossed it in the water, and the three watched as the rock bounced across the surface. Seika leaned against a willow tree and yawned.

"Well, this is boring," Olivia muttered. "This is just as bad as just sitting on the statue."

Before Kenzo or Seika could respond, they heard movement in the bushes. "Who's there?" Kenzo shouted and he jumped to his feet as a boy walked out. He was tall and had dark brown hair that hung above his eyes, but was neatly combed in the back. He wore a dark grey shirt with sleeves that barely left his shoulders, and long, dark red pants.

"Gekko?" Olivia gasped.

Gekko grinned. "In the flesh."

"What do you want?" Kenzo asked. "How did you know we were here?"

"I overheard you morons talking about coming over here," Gekko replied. He spat onto the ground. "As for why I'm here, I should be asking you. This is my turf."

Olivia stood up. "This entire forest is owned by the town."

Gekko shook his head and laughed. "My family owns this land. As the oldest son, the forest also belongs to me."

Olivia and Kenzo glared at Seika, who responded with a nervous shrug. "Let's just leave," Kenzo murmured. Seika stood up and the three began to leave the forest, but Gekko jumped in their way.

"Oh, I can't just let you leave. You were trespassing on my family's property. I have the right to turn you in."

"What right?" Kenzo yelled. "There's no notice that this is private property?"

Gekko pointed to a sign by the path back to the town. 'Private Property. All trespassers will be fined.'

"See?" Gekko laughed. "The fine is five-thousand Munny."

"Five-thousand!" Olivia and Kenzo yelled. "We don't even have that much!"

Gekko laughed even louder. "Well, if you don't pay, I guess I'll have to turn you in. But I'm a reasonable guy. If you do something for me - I don't know, maybe fight me - I'll let the three of you go, free of charge. That is, if you win."

"Alright," Kenzo said. "What are we-" Gekko cut him off.

"Who said I'm going to fight you?" Gekko said. He pointed at Seika. "You, quiet boy. You're the one I'll be fighting."

Seika looked at him, then at his two friends. "You can do it, Seika," Kenzo said with a nod. Seika didn't respond.

"Are you afraid?" Gekko mocked.

Seika bit the inside of his cheek. He was afraid. He was a pacifist. At least, he tried to be. "Fine," he muttered.

Gekko's grin widened. He pulled a two thick sticks out from the bushes behind him and tossed one to Seika. He tightened his left hand's grip as he readied himself. Gekko began by jumping at him and he swung the stick at Seika, which hit him on the shoulder, hard.

Seika quickly retaliated as Gekko jumped at him again, but this time, Seika was ready and did a sidestep to dodge, leaving Gekko open for an attack. Seika slammed his weapon into Gekko's back. Gekko fell to the ground, but quickly flipped around, only to see Seika hold his stick in front of his face, waiting for him to surrender. Gekko looked at him, but quickly grinned.

Seika didn't understand what made him grin. But then he knew, as he was hit in the back of the head, hard, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Awakening

The next thing Seika knew, he was falling through water. But, it really didn't feel like water to him. He could still breath, and see clearly, and his clothes were flapping, as if a silent wind were blowing at him. He could feel the cool liquid on his skin, but his skin didn't feel wet at all. Moments later, he finally landed on a hard surface. He opened his eyes and realized he was standing on darkness. He looked around, his heart beating.

There was a burst of light on his next step that blinded him. He could hear wings flapping past him. He forced his eyes to open and he turned his head to see several doves fly into the darkness above. A picture was appearing as the doves cleared off the floor. Then, he realized what he was standing on. A stained glass floor with the image three figures.

In the center was a boy with spiky, brown hair and dressed in black garments. Seika noticed that behind him was a shadow of another figure, but his face was covered by a black hood. To the left of the brown haired boy, was a taller, white haired boy, who wore a black shirt underneath a white and yellow jacket, and baggy dark blue pants. There was figure behind him as well, a man with long white hair, and had tanned skin. He wore a white open coat that revealed his chest, and an emblem that was in the shape of a red heart with a spiked X in it. To the boy in the middle's right was a small black mouse with a beige face and large, round ears. Behind him was a man dressed in a black and red robe, and his face was revealed as an elderly man with long blond hair and a beard.

Seika was awestruck from the beauty of the picture, but he didn't notice three alters rise in front of him, each holding a weapon. A sword, a shield, and a staff. As he looked at them, he heard a voice in his head. "Now, choose your weapon."

He studied each weapon carefully. 'The sword,' he thought. 'The only thing I can protect myself with. I'm no wizard, and the shield would do nothing.' He grabbed the sword from the alter. The ground began to shake, and the three alters collapsed into the ground.

Seika took a deep breath and looked at the sword, admiring its appearance, until the voice spoke again. "Do not lower your guard. The enemy is near." Seika looked around, but didn't see anything, until he saw a small shadow squirm around the stained glass floor.

The shadow began to pop from the ground, revealing a small, black creature with small, yellow eyes. The creature had a long body and a round head with two long antennas. The creature squirmed around the ground until it noticed Seika standing there. Before it could jump, though, Seika slashed it with the sword, causing it to fade into darkness.

"Very good," the voice murmured. "Now, let's test your courage."

The glass floor began to shatter and Seika fell into the darkness below, only to land on another stain glass pillar. This one had an image of three knights, each in different armor. One was in gold, black, and red. Another looked more feminine and wore violet and blue armor. The third, who seemed to be the youngest of the three, wore gold and olive armor. Behind the three were two figures, a bald, old man with a white beard, and a black knight with a large, red heart-like symbol on his chest.

Seika walked across the floor, admiring the picture more than the last. A light began to shine from above, and the voice spoke again. "Be on your guard, child. For the closer to the light you are, the greater your shadow becomes."

Seika spun around on his heel and looked around. There was nothing. But something caught his eye. His shadow was missing. His heart began to beat against his chest as he slowly walked to the center of the floor, until he heard something else beating as well. He turned around and saw another black creature, this one was larger. Much larger. Its golden eyes were watching his every move. The creature had spikes on its head, just like Seika's hair, but it ran down its back, just like the antennas on the first creature he saw. Two large, angelic wings were folded on its back, and on its chest was a large, heart-shaped hole. With each beat from Seika's heart, the creature grew larger.

He slowly began to step back. "Don't be afraid," the voice said. He dropped the sword and turned to run, but realized there was no where to run to. "You have much more courage than you believe." The sword vanished from the ground, and in a burst of light, a key-like weapon appeared in Seika's hand. "For the Keybearer has been reborn."

Before Seika could do anything, though, one of the creature's antennas wrapped around his waist and pulled him off the ledge. The creature was waiting for him on the other end of the floor. More of the antennas flew at him, holding his body still. Its wings created a barrier around the two and a mouth appeared on its face. It began to pull Seika closer to devour him, but a beam shot out of the key, blinding the creature. The creature vanished back into the darkness and Seika dropped back onto the floor.

The stained glass image vanished and turned into darkness. The head and upper body of the creature appeared from the darkness, which gave Seika the chance to attack. He raised the key and began to slash at the head. The creature gave a roar of pain and sank back into the darkness. It reappeared, kneeling on one knee. Its antennas flew at Seika, leaving a gap in front of its head. With the few seconds he had, Seika came up with a strategy to defeat the creature.

He dodged the antennas by jumping of the ledge and holding up to the edge, waiting for all the antennas to fly pass. He pulled himself back up and threw the key at the creature's head, knocking it back. He quickly grabbed the key and gave the creature one final blow. The creature struggled back to its feet, but fell forward, towards Seika.

"Seika!" cried a voice, and before the creature crashed onto him, he woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Lurking Shadows

Seika's eyes burst open, now realizing he was in his room. He heard ran tapping on the window. He looked around, trying to find the one who called his name. There was no one. He sighed and slumped back down. "What a dream," he muttered.

There were footsteps approaching and the door opened. A girl his age with vermillion hair entered, and Seika knew her very well. "Seika!" she yelled and ran to hug him. On her right wrist was a hemp bracelet as well, except hers had a small, green bead on it.

"Hana?" Seika said when she released him. He rubbed his aching head. "What happened?"

"Kenzo and Olivia told me Gekko's brother knocked you out. They brought you back here and told me. I came earlier this morning, but you were still out."

Seika smiled. "Thanks for that," he said, but then his smile vanished when he noticed his own hemp bracelet was missing. He pulled his blanket off him and searched around his bed. "My bracelet, where is it?" he muttered when he searched through his room.

"Maybe if fell off when you were knocked out?" Hana said. She was the one who gave him the bracelet, which is what made it special to him.

Seika stood up and looked out the blurred window. He released a sigh and zipped his jacket. "Could you get Kenzo and Olivia to meet me at the pond?" Seika asked Hana.

"You can't go back there," she said. Her voice was shaking. "If you get caught trespassing there, Gekko will raise the fine."

Seika shook his head. "I have to find that bracelet," he muttered. He ran out the door and back to the woods where he was knocked out. He quickly and carefully retraced his steps. Moments later, Kenzo, Olivia, and Hana entered the clearing.

Kenzo quickly approached Seika and grabbed his jacket collar and said, "What are you thinking? We're in enough trouble as it is!" Seika didn't say anything. Kenzo released him and stepped back.

"Gekko reported us," Olivia said. "because he won the fight. It was just a dirty trick, his brother knocking you out like that."

When she finished, something caught their eye. On the ledge that overlooked the pond was a small black creature. Seika looked at it carefully, and his heart began to beat against his chest. He ran to catch up with Kenzo.

"What is this thing?" Kenzo muttered as he approached the small black creature. The creature didn't move, except for its antennas, which twitched violently. Its yellow eyes were staring at Kenzo's chest. He picked up a small stick and poked the creature in its head. It didn't move.

"Get back!" Seika yelled, and he pushed Kenzo out of the way.

Kenzo jumped to his feet and grabbed Seika by his collar again. "What was that for?"

This time, Seika slapped his hand off. "This thing is dangerous."

Kenzo laughed. "What's so dangerous about it?" Seika didn't answer. Kenzo turned back to face the creature. "It seems harmless."

The creature's head twitched and it looked at Seika. It took a step back, as if beginning to retreat, and then dove at Kenzo, striking him in the chest.

He fell to the ground, breathing heavily, then barely. The creature vanished. Olivia and Hana ran over as fast as they could as Seika laid Kenzo on the ground and pulled his shirt off. There was a large, black aura was covering the part where his heart was.

Seika put his head to his chest. He could hear Kenzo breathing, but no heartbeat. Olivia pushed him out of the way and held Kenzo in her arms. "Kenzo, wake up! Open your eyes." There was no response. Olivia looked at Seika. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Seika muttered. "I tried to get him away, but he didn't listen. That creature, I saw when I was knocked out. It attacked him."

Olivia didn't believe him. She pulled one of his arms over her shoulders and began to carry him out of the clearing. Hana followed. Seika gave a sigh as his three friends left the clearing, leaving him alone in the rain.

He looked at the grey sky. "Was that dream real?" he muttered. "Then what was that key, and how was I able to get it?" He shook his head and he turned to leave, until someone spoke to him.

"What you saw just now was a Heartless," said a cheerful voice. "They're creatures made from the darkness within the hearts of people. That one you just saw ate your friend's heart."

Seika looked around and said, "Where are you? Who are you?"

"Well, right now, I'm not in your world. As for who I am, I guess I'll just leave that up to you to find out. Right now, I'm in a world known as Radiant Gardens. What I want you to do is meet me there, and I will fill you in on everything that's going on."

"Another world?" Seika murmured, then he shouted, "How can I get to another world?"

"Well," the voice began, "I don't really know how you can leave your world, but I have a theory. Is there any door of some sort in your world?"

Seika thought for a moment. Then a thought burst into his mind. The great colosseum that towered over the town. "That must be why that guy is there. The Executioner must be guarding the door. He must be a Heartless or something."

The voice gave a light laugh. "Well, none the less, you better find it, and fast. Your heart will take care of the rest. There might not be much time."

Seika looked around, worried about being overheard or caught. "Much time for what?"

"Well, it's not exactly something that I can explain here, but it will happen tonight, so you better find a way out of there quick."

"Alright, I think I get it," Seika said. "Thanks." There was no response. He was back alone in silence. He looked around to make sure there was no one around and used every bit of strength and energy in his body to run out of the woods without being caught.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Doomsday

Seika entered the great building and looked around. Fountains and stores covered the inside. In the center was an elevator that led to apartments and hotels on the middle floor, and the colosseum at the top. Beside it was a booth to sign in for a match or to by tickets.

Seika sighed and walked to it. "I'd like to sign up for a fight with the Executioner." The man inside looked at him closely, then barked out laughing. Seika noticed many other people overheard and began laughing as well. He didn't say anything and quickly filled in the paperwork.

"Are you crazy, kid?" the man managed to say. "Or did that rock to your head from Gekko's brother knock the sense right out of you?"

Seika was surprised how quickly that spread through the town. He start to think about what Olivia said. How Gekko believed he could defeat the Executioner. Then his thoughts went to Kenzo, how that creature attacked him. "Just let me in," he muttered.

The man shook his head and stopped laughing. "It's your funeral. Free of charge." He handed Seika a pass to the top. "The match is in an hour, so rest up. You're going to need it." He walked on to the elevator and as the doors closed, he noticed Hana standing by the entrance, watching him with sad eyes.

His heart filled with guilt as the elevator shot up towards the colosseum. Seika stayed as far away from the glass doors as he could, trying not to look down from his fear of heights, and fear of seeing Hana for possibly the last time. He put his hand around his wrist, wishing he had his bracelet.

He reached the floor and showed the pass to the security guards, who led him to the challenger's waiting room. He dropped himself onto the sofa when he entered with his hands on his head. "What's wrong with me," he murmured.

He glanced at the large clock that sat on the wall, ticking the minutes until the fight. Thirty minutes were left. His mind began to drift, letting time fly pass quickly, and before he knew it, there was a knock on his door. He jumped when one of the guards came in. "You have ten minutes," he sounded unusually calm, but at the same time, quite shaken. "It would be best if you went to the arena."

Seika nodded and followed him to the arena. Several times, he felt like he saw something following him, but quickly lost his suspicions when the guard stopped him in the middle of the hallway and pushed him to the side. He noticed a large man was walking down from behind, escorted by two women. He wore a long black cape and matching cargo pants. The rest of his body was bare and he had black mask covering all his face except his eyes, mouth, and white ponytail from the back of his head. He was the Executioner.

He noticed Seika against the wall, and looked at the pass around his neck. He grabbed the collar of Seika's shirt and held him against up and smirked. "I just loved fresh meat," he laughed. "Especially a kid's. I will squash you like a bug out in the arena!"

He dropped Seika and walked away with the two women in each of his arms. Seika rubbed his neck and looked at the guard, who looked away as if nothing had happened. "Three minutes," was all he said and they continued down the hallway.

There were more people sitting all around the stands then he thought, judging by how much time had passed from when he signed up. The Executioner sat on a large throne, with a large axe in his hand. Around the sides of the arena were well over fifty security guards, from what Seika could see. One approached him and handed him a blue sword.

Seika looked at the sword, then glanced at his opponent's axe. 'No wonder everyone loses,' he thought. He opened his mouth to protest over the size comparisons, until the spokesman began to speak.

"For the first time in five months, the great Executioner has a challenger!" The audience gave a roar of shouts and laughter. "Weighing only one-hundred and forty pounds is Seika!" The audience quickly switched to boo's. "Weighing over three-hundred pounds, the invincible Executioner!" The entire audience cheered.

The referee walked into the middle of the arena. "I want a clean match," he said. His eyes turned to the Executioner. "Go easy on the kid." He could only smirk.

"Fight!"

* * *

Olivia sat in a chair beside the bed Kenzo was lying on. The darkness on his chest grew quicker and quicker. She looked out the window. The sky grew dark in a hurry, but there seemed to be a moon in the cloudy sky. Something felt very odd.

She sighed and looked down at Kenzo's blank face. "I hope Seika and Hana are all right," she murmured, but shook her head. It was Seika's fault for what happened to Kenzo, anyway. Why should she care about him. She sighed again, and shook her head. "Why me?"

There was a thump the door. She jumped to her feet instantly. There was nothing. Breathing heavily and her heart beating, she walked to the door and slowly opened it. There was nothing.

She turned back to Kenzo, and noticed something moving under his bed. A black creature popped out from the shadows, it's yellow eyes watched her every move. It was the same creature from the woods. Olivia's heart began to beat harder against her chest. She began to back away from it, until she noticed another one rise from the corner of the room, and another one from the wall. And soon, the room was full of the black creatures. She gave a scream as she was consumed by the darkness.

* * *

Seika dodged the axe as it slammed down beside him, barely missing his arm. He jumped to his feet and slashed to sword at the Executioner. It didn't seem to do anything. He laughed and said, "You need to do better if you want to beat me. Give up now and I promise I'll let you out with a broken arm."

Seika dodged again as the opponent smashed his axe into the ground. This was his chance. He jumped on top of the axe and ran up the thick handle, trying not to loose his balance, and he knocked the Executioner in his head.

He fell to his side and gave a roar of anger, dropping his weapon. He struggled to stand. "You little snot!" he roared. "Now I'm going to rip all of your limbs off and feed them to my hounds!" There were cheers from all around the arena.

But then, the arena began to tremble. There were screams of horror from around the audience as the roof of the colosseum flew off, revealing a ball of darkness above them. Everyone in the stands began to run.

The Executioner looked around. Seika could tell that he was afraid. But something seemed very wrong. His left hand began to shake and in a burst of light, the key from his dream appeared. "The key?" he muttered.

People quickly fled from the arena, leaving Seika and the Executioner alone. "What's going on?" the Executioner yelled. He looked at Seika. "Is this some sort of plot to kill me?"

Seika shook his head. He let his anger take over him "No, you fool! Heartless are attacking our world!"

There was a shrieking laugh. The two spun around and saw a tall woman that was draped in a black robe, standing by the wall. In her hand was a long staff with a green stone on the end. By her legs was a girl. Hana.

Seika stared at her in horror. "Hana!" he yelled and he held the key out for an attack. "Let her go!" He began to charge at the woman, but with a flick of her staff, he flew back, and landed back beside the Executioner.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," the woman said sadistically. "In moments, this world will turn to darkness." Her smirk vanished. "Besides, I need this girl to get something of mine back." A black portal appeared behind her. "But so that you die honorably, Keybearer," she flicked her staff again. The Executioner coughed, as if he were choking and put his hands on his chest.

Seika turned around and witnessed the Executioner turn black and a red heart-shaped symbol appear on his chest. He began to shake as the man transformed into a Heartless.

The Executioner fell to his knees and dropped his hands down, giving him the look of of dog. He gave a roar and charged at Seika.

He dodged as the Heartless swiped at him and knocked him in the head with the key. He looked for the woman. She was gone. The Executioner stood back up and swiped at Seika again, knocking him against the wall, but he quickly retaliated.

Seika tightened his grip and lunged at the Heartless, knocking him in the head. He gave another roar and grabbed Seika's wrist, and threw him across the arena. He used that as his chance to grabbed the Executioner's axe.

The Executioner dodged it as he threw it, and grabbed the handle. Seika gritted his teeth as he watched the Executioner slowly approach him. He raised his giant axe, ready for the final blow, until the arena shook again, and the entire building flew towards the darkness in the sky. And then, all was darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Face of the Enemy

Seika opened an eye and noticed he was still alive. The key was still clutched in his left hand. He looked around and realized that he was standing on another stained glassed floor. But this one seemed different then all the others. In the center was an image of a white haired boy, sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs. Tears were dripping down his cheeks. Behind him was a man that looked like an older version of the boy, except his eyes were blood red, and had a look of anger.

As Seika looked around, a cold a wind blew past him and knocked him down. He looked behind and noticed a man with the same white hair as the two in the picture standing on the edge of the pillar. He wore a long, black cloak that broke into two tails on the bottom and white boots that went a few inches above his ankles. Seika stood up. "Who are you?" he called.

The man snickered and slowly turned around. He was the man from the picture. His blood red eyes sent a chill down Seika's spine as they stared at each other. "A Ghost," he muttered. His voice was dark and matched his appearance exactly.

"A... Ghost?" Seika tightened his grip on the key. "What is that suppose to mean?"

The man grinned and shook his head. "You really do know nothing," he said darkly. "I am the outcome of when the Light abandons its soldier." He held out his right hand and in a burst of light, a key just like Seika's appeared, except its blade was jagged with spikes and the handle was broken apart. It looked as if it were made of crystal.

"Are you with that woman?" Seika asked. "Do you know where Hana is?"

"So, she did do as I said." The man murmured. "That girl has a very..." he paused. "peculiar heart. Let's just say, it seems delicious."

Seika's stomach churned. "You are going to eat her heart?"

The man laughed. "I am a Ghost, that's what we do. Some seem to call us Heart Eaters. We devour a heart that is full of Light."

Seika gritted his teeth, and, without thinking straight, he swung the key out and charged at the man. The man vanished into black smoke and reappeared behind Seika and grabbed the back of his head, holding him above the darkness that surrounded the floor. "I don't understand why the Keyblade chose a fool like you." He released Seika and he fell into the darkness below. The man vanished.

* * *

King Mickey ran down the streets of Radiant Gardens with his white Keyblade clutched in his hand. He stopped by the side of a building and looked around in all directions to be sure that there wasn't anyone following, before starting off again. He turned on a corner and quickly opened a door to a rundown house. "Have you found him yet, Merlin?" he shouted.

"No need to get impatient," an elderly man in a violet robe and long pointed hat was fiddling with a small crystal ball. "He just appeared in a world not too far."

Mickey shook his head. "We have no time for this."

Merlin gave a sigh and placed the crystal ball onto a wooden table and walked to the king. "I know that it is hard to get on with this mission without your world. The only way to get it back is by destroying this 'Strider'."

Mickey gave a sigh and smiled. "You're right! And though we can't do anything about it until Seika gets here, we can try and get as much prepared as possible before he faces off with Strider. But there is another problem."

Merlin gave him a sidelong look. "That other boy?" he asked. "We don't know anything about him except that he gave his heart to darkness for power."

Mickey nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but there was a knock on the door. Merlin flicked his hand and falling in was Goofy, Mickey's captain of the Royal Knights. Walking in behind him was his son Max, dressed in his casual black vest over a red hooded t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. A pair of goggles were hanging around his neck. "Captain Goofy and Max reporting for duty, your majesty," Goofy said when he jumped to his feet and saluted.

"You made it just in time," Mickey said. "You know what to do, right Max?"

Max saluted like his father. "Yes, your majesty. Go find Seika and escort him here, then stick with him until his mission is done."

"Right," Mickey said. "Have you told PJ yet?"

Max slowly lowered his salute and rubbed his neck, laughing nervously. "Well, I went to tell him and..." Max let his explanation trail off as his partner ran in, panting heavily.

"Sorry I'm late, your majesty," PJ said. He rubbed the sweat off his forehead and quickly bowed to apologize for his disrespect. Clutched in his hand was a rolled up photo. "I had to find something before I left."

"It's no problem," Mickey said cheerfully. "Now that we're all here, we can begin the knighting." He turned towards a chair. "Come on, Donald."

Jumping out of the chair, the white duck walked towards the group. "Well it's about time. I've been waiting for hours."

Mickey ignored him and unsheathed a sword from a golden hilt. The hilt of the sword was red with a silhouette of Mickey's head on the end, his royal symbol. Max and PJ dropped to on knee and bowed. Mickey raised the sword and tapped Max on his shoulder. "With the power vested in me, I promote you, Max to the new Captain of the Royal Guards." he turned to PJ. "And with the power vested in me, I promote you, PJ, to the first General Vanguard." He turned back to Max. Max stood up. "This now belongs to you. Use it well." He handed the sword to Max.

"Now for you, PJ," Merlin said. He raised his hands and shot a blast of light. New clothing appeared on him. Blue and white armor as well as large, black metal boots. A pair of thick gauntlets appeared on his hands, both had the king's symbol on the back. "This is the same type of armor your father used before he was banished. I hope that you will use it more wisely."

PJ quickly saluted to him. "I will use it with honor, sir!"

Goofy hugged Max tightly. "Congratulations, Maxy!" he said, but Max quickly pushed him away.

"Dad, I'm not a kid anymore. I'd rather you start treating me like... like a soldier."

Goofy sighed. "Well, if that's really how you feel, then I guess it can't be helped. So in that case, your first order of business is to do your mission and find the new Keybearer!"

Max grinned and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Max and PJ looked at each other and nodded in approval, and the two ran out of Merlin's house and began to head towards their vessel.

* * *

A crystal ball sat in the center of a dark room. Three witches looked down at the ball, watching the black haired Keybearer. The oldest of the three had long, curly, red hair and wore a green robe. The other sister had long golden hair and looked more beautiful then either of her sisters, and she wore a ruby red robe. The third sister seemed quite fat and had a long nose. Black, curly hair covered her head and she wore a violet robe with a small red cape. Strider appeared on the opposite side, with a grin of triumph on his face.

"The boy is weaker than we expected," he said. The witches gave a laugh. "But there is something that makes me wonder. There is a power with in him that keeps me from devouring his heart."

"Is it that fool of a king?" the oldest of the sisters asked. "The Heartless can easily take care of him."

"No," Strider muttered. "The king seems to have no control over him." His eyes widened as he looked into the crystal ball. "I wonder, though. Has our new 'friend' come yet?"

"I'm afraid not," the witch said. "This makes me wonder. Could she be a double agent for the king?"

"She can't be," the witch's fat sister protested. "Her scent is full of hatred. She can't possible be working for him."

Strider didn't respond and put his hand on the crystal ball. The image changed to the sorceress draped in a black robe. Beside her was a large man-like dog, with a girl in his arms. The stood in front of three figures that couldn't be made out. "Does she still have the girl?" the witches asked.

Strider grinned. "She is still holding her end of the bargain."

The three witches gave a sneering laugh, as a roar came from the distance. "Shut up, you pathetic lizard!" The third of the witches screamed. The roar grew louder.

"Calm down, my dear," Strider said calmly. "There's no need to get worked up over nothing. But she does pull a good point." The image turned back to Seika. "The boy seems to be more trouble then he's worth. I'll let my hounds deal with him."

Strider waved his hand, creating a small void. The void formed into a large, plump creature with blue skin. It had small, yellow eyes on its head as well as a pony tail, and a large mouth on its stomach. It also seemed to be missing arms and hands. On its chest was a large stitch. The four laughed as the roar from the distance grew.


End file.
